Inns of Court

The Inns of Court have a good claim to being the best-managed urban landscape in Central London. They are called 'inns' because they were founded to provide short-term hostel accommodation for students of the law. As a group, they are now the headquarters of Britain's legal profession. The Inns are arranged round a set of squares and courtyards between Theobalds Road, High Holborn and the Embankment. The smaller squares and passages have a medieval clam which is rare in London (e.g. Staple Inn and Fountain Court) while the larger spaces (e.g. Lincoln's Inn and The Temple) are elegant and urbane gardens.